"Who really belongs on the cover is not me. If I could forfeit my Glamour cover, I would give it to Malala [Yousafzai, 16-year-old Pakistani education activist who was shot by the Taliban in 2012]," People quotes Gaga as saying.

She went on to say that, because "Malala used her voice", she would be speaking up too, and admitted: "The picture, which I'm very grateful for and very happy to be on this cover, I felt it was too beautiful.

"I felt my skin looked too perfect, and my hair looked too soft. This is not usually how I dress or how I carry myself."

She added: "I believe my true mission is to inspire young people to fight back against forces that make them feel like they're not beautiful or important. I do not look like this when I wake up in the morning.

"When I look out into the audience every night, I feel a strong opposition to the corporations that are around me. I know they see the faces of my fans and they see dollar signs. This is not what I see at all. I see friendship and love."